Decorative low illumination lamp



Apr'H 26, 1966 s. D. BRIGHT 3,248,532

NNNNNNN R ATTORNEYS April 1955 s. D. BRIGHT 3,248,532

DECORATIVE LOW ILLUMINATION LAMP Filed Dec. 27, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2WIIJIAFJQ'MJWMAVQIAVA a w 39 *MM Apxrfiii I256, 1966 Filed Dec.

5. D. BRIGHT 3,248,532

DECORATIVE LOW ILLUMINATION LAMP 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 IS z II '8 I i l mu Iids M J L lum AW I 1 I I ie uz l0 IB INVENTOR. SAMUEL D. BR I G HT ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,248,532 DECORATIVE LQW ILLUMINATION LAMPSamuel 1). Bright, 525 Page Ave. NE., Atlanta, Ga. Filed Dec. 27, 1963,Ser. No. 333,803 4 Claims. (Cl. 240-40) This invention relates tolighting devices, and is more particularly concerned with a decorative,low illumination lamp. I

There are numerous situations in which some light is desired, but a verylow level of illumination is preferred. For example, such lowillumination is preferred for rooms at night when the light should besuflicient only to walk through a room without stumbling, for childrensrooms at night, for watching television at night, etc. In most cases, itis quite desirable to have a decorative item rather than a purelyutilitarian item.

The device of the present invention provides a decorative, lowillumination lamp that gives a diffused light for soft illumination;and, the device is adjustable to provide a greater intensity and amountof light when desired. The lamp is so constructed as to be readilyadaptable to virtually any color scheme and any decorating motif. Thedevice is very simple and light weight in construction and is designedto be very versatile in application.

These and other features of the present invention will become apparentfrom consideration of the following specification when taken inconjunction with the accompanying'drawings in which: I

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 33in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded view of the mounting for the lightsource.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary exploded view showing the means of access to theinterior of the lamp.

FIG. 6 is a view taken substantially along the line 6-6 in FIG. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to that embodimenthere chosen by way of illustration, the device includes a pair of sidewalls 10 and 11. Each of the side walls 10 and 11 is made of two piecesof material; an outer wall 12 is solid; and, an inner wall 14 is cut outto receive and support the various parts between the side walls 10 and11. This construction will be described in more detail in connectionwith each of the parts.

Each of the side Walls 10 and 11 has a strip 15 along the front verticaledge, and a similar strip 16 along the rear vertical edge. The strips 15and 16 give support to the walls 10 and 11, and conceal the edges of thematerial used in the walls. Another strip 18 is placed along each cornerof the devicefor decorative purposes.

The lower ends of the walls 10 and 11 are attached to feet 19 and 20respectively; and, the feet 19 and 20 are, in turn, attached to a baseplate 21. The base plate 21 provides a wide, flat surface as a base forthe device, and aids in holding the side walls 10 and 11 in properspaced relationship.

A top plate 24 fits on the upper end of the device to hold the upperends of the parts together. The exact construction will be discussedlater.

Between the lower ends of the walls 10 and 11 there is a V-shaped trough25. The ends of the trough are received ice in openings in the innerwalls 14 and abut the outer walls 12. This gives support for the trough25 in all directions and precludes any movement thereof. Along bothupper edges of the V-shaped trough 25 there is a piece of trim 26 togive an aesthetically appealing design to the edge of the trough 25.

The inner surfaces of the trough 25 are covered with a thin, lightreflecting material 28 such as sheet steel, aluminum or the like.

The source of light, generally designated at 29 is carried by the trough25. The light source is shown in more detail in FIG. 5.

A bracket 30 has horizontal flanges 31 which are held by the trough 25.Fingers 32 curve upwardly from the bracket 30 to hold a bulb housing 34.The bulb housing 34 has, at one end thereof a clamping strip 35 whichextends completely around the periphery of the bulb housing 34. At theends of the clamping strip 35, there are ribs 36; and, at the outerextremities of the ribs 36, there are retaining bosses 38. The clampingstrip 35, ribs 36 and bosses 38 removably retain the socket 39.

The socket 39 is substantially cylindrical, and has a circumferentialgroove 40. The usual receptacle 41 receives a light bulb 42.

It will now be seen that the socket 39 is placed in the clamping strip35 with the ribs 36 received in the circumferential groove 40. Thebosses 38 are too wide to fit into the groove 49. As the socket 39 isforced into the clamping strip, the ends of the strip will be forcedapart until the socket is well down into the strip 35; then, the endswill close in, disposing the bosses 38 above the horizontal diameter ofthe socket. The socket is thus held in by the clamping force of theclamping strip 35. This arrangement is known in the art, hence, thesocket and bulb housing should be understood from the above description.

In the embodiment of the invention here shown, the trough 25 is made ofa foamed polystyrene material. This material has a readily rupturable,frangible cellular structure which allows the flanges 31 of the bracket30 to be inserted into the'material of the trough 25, as shown in FIG.'3. The bracket 30 is therefore very easy and quick to install, since theflanges 31 can be pushed, by hand, into the material of the trough 25.

There is thus provided a light source 29 mounted in the lower part ofthe lamp, and having reflecting surfaces 28 which will reflect light up.

In the upper part of the device, between the side wal's 10 and 11 thereare front wall 45 and rear Wall 46 which converge at their lower ends,terminating slightly inside of the trough 25. The walls 45 and 46 extendup to terminate at the top plate 24.

The front and rear walls 45 and 46 are slidably received by slots, asslot 48 shown in FIG. 4, in the inner side wall 14. FIG. 4 shows therear wall 46 raised partially, giving access to the inside of thedevice.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 6 of the drawings. In construction ofthe device so far described, all of the parts between the side walls 10and 11 are received by slots in the inner side walls 14. To hold theside walls 10 and 11 together at their upper ends, the top plate 24 iscut out to fit the configuration of the upper end of the device. Theopening in the top plate 24 fits along the outer side wall 12, aroundthe strips 15 and 16, around the strips 18, and along the front and rearwalls 45 and 46. This prevents outward movement of any of the parts.

A cover 49 is removably secured over the opening in the top plate 24.The securing means includes a pair of blocks 50 and 51 attached, as bygluing, to the upper, inside surface of the inner side walls 14 of theside walls and 11. To the top of the blocks 50 and 51 are fiXed nuts 52and 54 which threadably receive screws passing through the cover 49 tohold the cover 49 against the top plate 24.

There are movable, light reflecting bafiles mounted below the front andrear walls 45 and 46. Rods 55 and 56 pass through both side walls 10 and11, located approximately on the center line of the front and rear walls45 and 46. The rods 55 and 56 preferably project somewhat into theslots, as slot 48; and, outwardly of one side wall, here shown as sidewall 11, the rods have knobs 58 and 59 secured thereto by which torotate the rods. Between the walls 10 and 11, the baflles 60 and 61 areattached to the rods. The baflles 60 and 61 may be made of any lightreflecting material, though a lightweight metal or foil is preferred tomake the baffles easy to manipulate.

The baffles 66 and 61 extend the full width of the device, between theside walls 10 and 11. The Width of the baffles 60 and 61 is such that,in one position (the position of baffle 60 as shown in the drawings) thebaflie will engage the reflecting surface 28 of the trough 25; and, inthe opposite extreme position (the position of baffle 61 as shown in thedrawings) the baflle will reach about half way between the lower ends ofthe front and rear walls 45 and 46.

Each of the outer side Walls 12 has V-shaped projections 43 and 43'. Theupper projections 43 are provided as convenient handles; and, though thelower projections 43 can be used as handles, the center of gravity ofthe device is above the lower projections 43, which will make the devicediflicult to carry by the lower projections 43. The primary purpose ofthe lower projections 43 is therefore to serve as embellishments.

The V shape of the projections 43 and 43 as shown is designed to carrythrough the aesthetic plan of the device; the front and rear walls 45and 46 converge at their lower ends; the trough 25 has Walls convergingat their lower ends; hence, the projections 43 and 43' converge at theirlower ends. Another aesthetic plan can be carried through by anotherdesign for the projections 43 and 43'.

From the foregoing description, the operation of the device should beapparent. The cover 49 is removed, and one of the front or rear walls 45and 46 is slid up as in FIG. 4 so that a light bulb can be placed in thesocket 39. The front Wall 45 or rear wall 46 is replaced and the cover49 is replaced.

With both'of the baflies in the position of the baffle 60 in thedrawings, the light is held in the space between the front wall 45 andrear wall 46, cover 49, and trough 25. The front and rear walls 45 and46 are translucent, which will allow some of the light to passtherethrough. Other surfaces may be translucent if desired. Some of thelight will of course be absorbed by all of the surrounding walls,allowing only a portion of the light to pass through the translucentwalls. This will give a very low intensity light; and, due to thecellular structure of the foamed polystyrene walls, the light will bediffused, giving a very soft light.

If both the baffles 60 and 61 be positioned as the baffle 61 in thedrawings, the space between the front and rear walls 45 and 46 will beclosed off, but the spaces between the trough 25 and front and rearwalls 45 and 46 will be open; hence, light will be reflected out throughthe space. The reflecting surface 28 will direct the light against theoutside surfaces of the front and rear walls 45 and 46 to illuminate apicture '70 painted on the wall.

Since the light is now reflected off the surfaces, and partiallydirected straight through the space between the trough 25 and the frontand rear walls 45 and 46,

the light will be of greater intensity; and, the light that is reflectedfrom the surfaces of the walls and 46 will be somewhat diffused by thecellular structure, giving less diffusion to the light.

The above description considers the two extreme positions of the bafflesand 61. It will be understood that any position between the two extremescan be used by manipulating the knobs 58 and 59. The pressure of thefront and rear walls 45 and 46 against the rods 55 and 56 will hold therods in any set position, yet will allow movement when desired.

It will thus be seen that the device of the present in vention providesa simple lamp that has a variety or uses. The picture 70 can contain anycolors to match the desired color scheme; and the design of the picture70, as well as the various stylings and embellishments on the lamp canbe designed to fit into any decorating motif.

The lamp here presented is described as being constructed of a foamedpolystyrene. This material is desirable because it is light in weight,translucent, and is soft enough so that the bracket 30 can be easilyinserted into the trough 25. The material is best joined by gluing orthe like, though other means may be used.

It will be realized by those skilled in the art that the device of thepresent invention can be formed of numerous other materials. For thetranslucent portions, glass, or a plastic such as methyl methacrylatecan be used; for the opaque portions, wood, metal or numerous othermaterials can be used to suit the particular design.

It will of course be understood that the embodiment here presented is byway of illustration only, and is meant to be in no way restrictive;therefore, numerous changes and modifications may be made, and the fulluse of equivalents resorted to without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.

I claim:

-1. A lamp including a trough, side Walls on each end of said trough, alight source Within and supported by said trough, front and rear wallsbetween said side walls and above said trough, said front and rear wallsextending from the uppermost end of said side walls into said trough,and converging toward said trough, a cover over the opening formed bysaid side walls and said front and rear walls, bafiles at the lowermostend of said front and rear walls and movable to close the space betweenthe lower end of said front and rear walls, and to close the spacebetween said front wall and said trough and the space between said rearwall and said trough.

2. A lamp including side walls, each of said side Walls including aninner side wall and an outer side Wall, a base connecting the lower endsof said side walls, a trough disposed between said side walls, saidtrough being supported in an opening in each of said inner side wallsand abutting each of said outer walls, a front wall and a rear wallbetween said side Walls, said front and rear walls being received inslots in said inner side walls and abutting said outer side walls, a topplate having an opening therein, said opening being of substantially thesame dimensions and configuration as the upper periphery of thestructure formed by said side walls and said front and rear walls, saidopening in said top plate receiving said structure for holding saidstructure together, and a cover over said opening.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 in which said front and rear wallsare made of translucent material.

4. A lamp including side walls, each of said side Walls including aninner side Wall and an outer side Wall, a

base connecting the lower ends of said side walls, a

trough disposed between said side walls, said trough being supported inan opening in each of said inner side walls and abutting each of saidouter side walls, a light source disposed in said trough and supportedby said trough, a front wall and a rear wall between said side walls,said front and rear walls being received in slots in said inner sidewalls and abutting said outer side walls, the lower ends of said frontand rear walls being within said trough, a top plate having an openingtherein, said opening being substantially the same dimensions andconfiguration as the upper periphery of the structure formed by saidside walls and said front and rear walls, said opening in said top platereceiving said structure for holding said structure together, a coverover said opening, a pair of rods extending through said side walls,light reflecting baffles on said rods, said baflles being movable tocover the space between said front and rear walls or to close the spacesbetween said front and rear walls and said trough.

NORTON ANSHER,

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Harrison 240-78Schepmoes 240---7.35 Pearson 24010 Rupp 40130 Reynolds 2404l.l Horky240-40 Dames 2408.16 Kurianski 240--l0 Primary Examiner.

1. A LAMP INCLUDING A TROUGH, SIDE WALLS ON EACH END OF SAID TROUGH, A LIGHT SOURCE WITHIN AND SUPPORTED BY SAID TROUGH, FRONT AND REAR WALLS BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS AND ABOVE SAID TROUGH, SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS EXTENDING FROM THE UPPERMOST END OF SAID SIDE WALLS INTO SAID TROUGH, AND CONVERGING TOWARD SAID TROUGH, A COVER OVER THE OPENING FORMED BY SAID SIDE WALLS AND SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS, BAFFLES AT THE LOWERMOST END OF SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS AND MOVABLE TO CLOSE THE SPACE BETWEEN THE LOWER END OF SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS, AND TO CLOSE 